Bed tray



p 12, 1967 s. JENSSEN, JR 3,340,826

BED TRAY Filed June 30, 1966 FIG. 6

INVENTOR s1 GVALD T. JENSSEN,J R.

FQY Ska aim and \s fia oiro ATTORNEYS I United States Patent 3,340,826 BED TRAY Sigvald T. Jenssen, Jr., 2933 Maple Drive, Fairfax, Va. 22030 Filed June 30, 1966, Ser. No. 561,897 2 Claims. (Cl. 108-49) This invention relates to bed trays and more particularly to a removable side tray for hospital-type beds.

Hospital patients have frequent need for a tray to support sundry items, such as cosmetics, books, glasses, or food. The trays usually provided for this purpose are large floor-supported devices which are rolled into position above the bed. Such trays are inconvenient because of their bulk and are inordinately expensive.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide a tray which may be attached to a bed post or to the bed frame, for example, but such devices have been unduly complex and have been difiicult to remove when it is desired to provide unobstructed access to the bed.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved tray for hospital beds or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tray of exceptionally simple and inexpensive construction, which can be expeditiously attached to and detached from a bed, and which is conveniently located without undue intrusion into the bed space.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tray of the foregoing type which may readily be installed with stability and security.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tray of the foregoing type which accommodates variations in the inclination of the bed.

Briefly stated, a preferred form of the invention utilizes a simple upright frame having a transverse hook adapted to be placed over a transverse member of the bed rail to suspend the tray. The frame supports a shelf which projects outwardly from the frame opposite to the hook and the weight of which urges the frame against the rail. The shelf has an upraised lip to retain articles thereon but is open adjacent to the rail to facilitate access. A plungertype latch cooperable with the hook ensures secure mounting of the tray upon the bed.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates preferred and exemplary embodiments, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevation view illustrating the mounting of a tray of the invention upon a bed;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a tray of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the tray;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation view of the tray; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevation view illustrating the installation of a modified form of the invention upon a bed.

Referring to the drawing, FIGURE 1 shows a tray 10 of the invention mounted upon a side rail 12 of a hospitaltype bed 14 having the usual frame 16, headboard 18 and other conventional parts (not shown), the bed being illustrated somewhat diagrammatically and the tray being seen from within the bed. As shown in FIGURE 2, the tray of the invention (which may be formed entirely of sheet metal) comprises an upright frame 20 having a pair of risers 22 and a transverse frame member 24 at the bottom, which lie in a vertical plane when the tray is installed. The risers have tapered flanges 26 extending rear- Wardly to support the sides of a shelf 28 forming the tray proper. The shelf is generally rectangular and has an upraiscd lip 30 along the rear and the sides, the front being open and being formed smoothly and integrally with a hook 32 which extends transversely of the frame and which projects from the front edge of the shelf and curves downwardly and then rearwardly to embrace the bottom of a transverse or horizontal rail member as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4.

The flanges 26 may be notched as shown at 34, so that a transverse rail member can readily be received within the hook by tilting the tray relative to the rail. The projection of the hook beyond the forward plane of the frame is predetermined so that the shelf 28 will be supported stably in a horizontal position when the tray is suspended from the rail by the hook with the frame urged against the side of the rail opposite to the hook by the weight of the shelf, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4. The bottom of the hook embraces the bottom of the rail member and resists upward displacement of the tray. The shelf projects outwardly from the rail, where it does not intrude into the bed space, but the shelf is readily accessible, because the front of the shelf is open to the bed.

In order to ensure mounting of the tray with security, a latch is provided to lock the hook upon the bed rail. In the form shown the latch comprises a plunger 36 sup ported upon the bottom surface of the shelf in a flat sleeve 38 and having a handle 40 to provide for reciprocative movement of the plunger toward and away from the open side of the hook 32. A detent 42 is provided upon the plunger to engage a recess in the bottom of the shelf in order to lock the plunger in a position at which the plunger and hook cooperate to envelope the rail member to retain the tray upon the bed.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a modification in which a frame 20' essentially the same as the frame previously described supports a shelf 28 by means of a pivot 44. In this form the hook 32' is fixed to the risers 22, which, with the transverse member 24' constitute a frame relatively movable with respect to the shelf. Set screws 46 through the hook may be employed to attach the frame rigidly to the bed rail 12', which tilts when the head portion of the bed is raised. The tray 28' may be angulated relative to the frame by virtue of the pivot 44, which may have a set screw or other conventional means to fix the position of the tray in order to maintain it horizontal.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made in these embodirnents without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive of the invention, and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are to be included therein.

The invention claimed is:

1. A tray for a hospital bed of the type having a side rail which may tilt in the vertical plane of the rail to assume different elevation angles, said tray comprising a unitary frame having depending side members and having a hook extending transversely along the top and turned downwardly to embrace a corresponding transverse member of the rail at one side thereof in order to suspend the tray therefrom with said side members of the frame engaging the other side of the rail, said frame having means for clamping the frame to the rail to prevent sliding of the frame along the rail when the rail is tilted, a shelf, means for pivotally supporting the shelf upon the frame for tilting movement in the said vertical plane relative to said frame in order to maintain the shelf horizontal as the rail 3 and frame are tilted, and means for releasably fixing the angular position of the shelf relative to the frame.

2. The tray of claim 1, said frame being rectangular and having a bottom member joining said side members, said means for clamping said frame to said rail comprising screw means supported by said hook and movable relative to said frame to grip the said transverse member of the rail, said means for pivotally supporting said shelf comprising a single pivot located centrally of said shelf.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,267,861 12/1941 Haley 108-135 X 4 Madlena 10847 Herman 108135 X Bittner 108-135 X Kost 10847 X Hess et al 108-135 X DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

10 FRANK B. SHERRY, Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TRAY FOR A HOSPITAL BED OF THE TYPE HAVING A SIDE RAIL WHICH MAY TILT IN THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE RAIL TO ASSUME DIFFERENT ELEVATION ANGLES, SAID TRAY COMPRISING A UNITARY FRAME HAVING DEPENDING SIDE MEMBERS AND HAVING A HOOK EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ALONG THE TOP AND TURNED DOWNWARDLY TO EMBRACE A CORRESPONDING TRANSVERSE MEMBER OF THE RAIL AT ONE SIDE THEREOF IN ORDER TO SUSPEND THE TRAY THEREFROM WITH SAID SIDE MEMBERS OF THE FRAME ENGAGING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAIL, SAID FRAME HAVING MEANS FOR CLAMPING THE FRAME TO THE RAIL TO PREVENT SLIDING OF THE FRAME ALONG THE RAIL WHEN THE RAIL IS TILTED, A SHELF, MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE SHELF UPON THE FRAME FOR TILTING MOVEMENT IN THE SAID VERTICAL PLANE RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE SHELF HORIZONTAL AS THE RAIL AND FRAME ARE TILTED, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY FIXING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF THE SHELF RELATIVE TO THE FRAME. 